Hynes going ahead wth cuts, doesn't trust governor

Ryan Keith

Wednesday

Sep 24, 2008 at 12:01 AMSep 24, 2008 at 12:23 AM

As Illinoisans wait to see what Gov. Rod Blagojevich does next with the state budget, one state officeholder says he couldn’t take the chance of leaving his budget in the hands of a governor he doesn’t trust.

As Illinoisans wait to see what Gov. Rod Blagojevich does next with the state budget, one state officeholder says he couldn’t take the chance of leaving his budget in the hands of a governor he doesn’t trust.

State lawmakers voted overwhelmingly this week to restore more than $220 million in budget cuts made by Blagojevich. That’s designed to keep state parks and historic sites from closing this fall and prevent or reverse hundreds of layoffs in state government.

But Comptroller Dan Hynes’ office isn’t included in that bill — by his choice. A nearly $3 million reduction for his office, including 15 layoffs that occurred earlier this month, will stand.

Hynes said in an interview with The State Journal-Register Wednesday that he turned down lawmakers’ offer to be included in the restoration measure because he couldn’t put his employees through more of the unknown and the potential “whiplash” of what Blagojevich could do next.

“I couldn’t run my office under a cloud of uncertainty and make decisions because of the whims of the governor,” Hynes said. “I just don’t trust this governor, and I felt that I had to make my decisions.”

The bill restoring the cuts, along with the one authorizing sweeping money out of dedicated special funds to pay for the restorations, still needs approval by Blagojevich. He’s already indicated the bills might not survive as lawmakers crafted them.

“We are just managing the budget that we’ve been given,” Blagojevich spokeswoman Katie Ridgway responded to Hynes’ comments. “If the comptroller were a true fiscal conservative, he would understand what a responsible governor would have to do.”

The administration said Wednesday it has “concerns” about $50 million in fund sweeps, ranging from money that’s already been set aside because of legal battles to overestimating the money balances of some of the funds affected.

Blagojevich’s office says the measures still need to be reviewed, while warning more money concerns are coming.

The state Department of Revenue took the unusual step Tuesday of announcing state revenues are on track to be as much as $200 million below expectations, two months into the new budget year.

Hynes said that revenue announcement and Blagojevich’s signals about the legislative relief lead him to believe the governor will veto the restoration measure, and people affected by the cuts will still be hurt.

“It’s just continued games by the governor,” Hynes said. “He clearly has absolutely no concern or remorse when he hurts people.”

Hynes’ budget was slashed by about $2.8 million, out of a total $28.8 million. Along with layoffs, the office is requiring some non-union workers to take five unpaid furlough days by next summer.

Other state officeholders also sustained millions of dollars in cuts and announced layoffs, furlough days, hiring freezes and other moves in response. But the others — lieutenant governor, treasurer, attorney general and secretary of state — were included in the legislature’s attempt to reverse the cuts.

Those officers said Wednesday they weren’t changing course on the budget-saving measures they pursued until Blagojevich makes the next move.

“We can’t do anything until we see what the governor does,” said Robyn Ziegler, spokeswoman for Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Ziegler noted the spending measure doesn’t fully restore the office’s more than $13 million budget cut.

Hynes said others hoping for good news from the governor should be wary.

“I think people should be concerned as long as Rod Blagojevich is governor because there is no telling what this person will do,” Hynes said.

Hynes, a possible Democratic candidate for governor in 2010, said he was not jumping into the race along with delivering such sharp criticism of Blagojevich, who is also a Democrat.

The major state employees’ union is urging Blagojevich to prove doubters wrong. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31 said Wednesday the governor should sign the bills passed this week quickly and direct his agencies to rescind threatened layoffs and facility closures.

“There is no sound reason for making the planned cuts,” AFSCME executive director Henry Bayer said in a statement. “The governor can prevent all of these unnecessary hardships by acting quickly.”

Ryan Keith can be reached at (217) 788-1518 or ryan.keith@sj-r.com.

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